New York Knicks Must Prioritize Future In A Carmelo Anthony Trade

If the New York Knicks are going to trade Carmelo Anthony, then the primary focus should be building a brighter future via the returning package.

It’s becoming increasingly more likely that team president Phil Jackson will trade franchise player Carmelo Anthony. The New York Knicks can’t buy a postseason appearance and Anthony is drifting further and further away from the current timeline.

If or when the time comes that Anthony is traded, the focus should be on one thing and one thing only: the future.

Anthony has a no-trade clause that will make it quite difficult for the Knicks to get the dream package back for him. He can determine which team he plays for next, and that’s by the design of the contract Phil Jackson handed him.

Although Anthony’s preferences will directly influence the return, the Knicks must make a concerted effort to build for the future.

It’s been reported that Anthony’s preferred destinations are the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Clippers. All three teams won upwards of 50 games in 2016-17, thus providing Anthony with an established environment to potentially enter.

Of the three teams, the Clippers are rumored to be expressing the strongest sense of urgency as far as acquiring the 10-time All-Star is concerned.

Intriguing as that all may be, Los Angeles has a limited set of resources. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are pending free agents who will consume a vast majority of the Clippers’ cap space, and All-NBA center DeAndre Jordan hasn’t yet been included in trade rumors.

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, league executives believe that the best package Los Angeles can offer would feature J.J. Redick, Austin Rivers, and Wesley Johnson.

"According to some league executives, the only deal that makes sense for both sides is packaging Redick, combo guard Austin Rivers and adding wing man Wesley Johnson for financial purposes in exchange for Anthony and perhaps one of the Knicks’ two second-round picks in next month’s draft."

It’s fair to believe the Knicks could receive a better package—namely one that caters more to the long-term future of the organization.

If Redick were to sign with the Knicks and thus become a part of a sign-and-trade, he’d be of value to the organization. He’s soon to turn 33 years of age, however, which brings New York back to its biggest issue.

Whether or not you believe Anthony is still a star-caliber player, he’s on pace to enter 2017-18 as a 33-year-old wing with 22 and 23-year-old building blocks.

The timeline simply doesn’t line up with Anthony and the younger players, and the same issue would present itself with Redick.

Kristaps Porzingis will enter the 2017-18 regular season as a 22-year-old rising star at power forward. Center Willy Hernangomez looks the part of a full-time starter, but he’ll be 23 at the start of 2017-18.

If that duo is going to anchor the Knicks’ interior for years to come, then the perimeter players must develop along a similar trajectory.

Veterans are invaluable for the locker room, but with a 31-year-old Courtney Lee and a 32-year-old Joakim Noah already on the roster, those roles have been filled.

What New York needs more of is promising young talent that can be developed in the long-term. The interior appears to be set for years to come, but point guard, shooting guard, and small forward are all positions of relative long-term weakness.

Lee fills his role well at shooting guard, but New York could lose the promising backup, 28-year-old Justin Holiday, to free agency.

New York has a chance to develop a pair of quality young guards in 24-year-olds Ron Baker and Chasson Randle. Both have upside, but neither have established themselves as consistent contributors in the present day.

What the Knicks are in desperate need of is a combination of youth, established ability, and potential along the perimeter.

The Knicks will have an opportunity to find a developable perimeter player during the 2017 NBA Draft. If trading Anthony is going to pay off for the organization, it must either acquire draft picks, find a starter, or build a legitimate second unit.

Austin Rivers has some measure of potential at 24 years of age, but one can’t help but feel as though Anthony could command a more future-friendly package.

Must Read: Re-signing Justin Holiday should be a top priority

The New York Knicks have the potential to build a brighter long-term future via a Carmelo Anthony trade. It must embrace the opportunity to do so.